Around the world, weight-related issues have multiplied over the past 20 years. According to a recent Canadian study, 24% of the adult population is obese and 37% of Canadians are overweight.
As well, the overweight issue seems to be particularly worrying among young people, aged 2 to 17 since, over a period of 20 years, the obesity rate has more than doubled among this group, from 3% to 8% between 1978 and 2004.
At the same time, the phenomenon of excessive concern regarding weight is just as worrying, particularly among women and girls. According to a survey, in Canada, 56% of women with a healthy weight want to lose weight and 30% of young girls, aged 10 to 14, go on a diet every year.
Weight loss is also a concern for people who are overweight, and a number of those people may be tempted, at some point or another, to turn to commercial weight-loss products, services, and methods.
The ASPQ believes it is crucial that the excessive concern regarding weight be incorporated in the strategies developed to promote healthy lifestyles and to reduce the number of problems related to obesity and overweight.
Given the popularity of commercial weight-loss programs, we can infer that a lot of people who wish to lose weight use weight-loss products, services, and methods.
The Association pour la santé publique du Québec is concerned about the use of weight-loss methods, since, in most cases, they pose many health risks.
There are so-called minor risks, such as digestive problems, headaches or sleep issues, and then there are major risks, such as arrhythmia, cardiac arrests or even death.
In addition, studies show that 95% of people who follow a diet regain the weight lost, even adding more pounds, during the five years after their attempt. This is called the “yo-yo” effect and it constitutes a risk factor associated with obesity. Therefore, diets are often counterproductive as a solution to weight-related problems.
Finally, it is important to mention that most natural health products for weight loss, available over the counter, have not necessarily been reviewed by Health Canada. So they are available over the counter, even though their impacts on health have not been studied and their efficacy has not been proven. As a result, these products are a potential risk for users' health. The ASPQ asks that a monitoring process be implemented for weight-loss products, services, and methods in order to protect the public health and monitor fraudulent practices in the weight-loss industry.
Overweight is constantly blamed for the poor health of much of the public. The association believes that current strategies promoting healthy lifestyles influence individuals' choices to use unhealthy weight management methods that are potentially dangerous for their health.
We are currently talking a lot about the fight against obesity and the obesity epidemic, which are very strong words. At the Association pour la santé publique du Québec, we believe that the use of such words contributes to the stigmatization of people who are overweight rather than the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
Overweight is in fact a consequence of another issue, of lifestyle. People are less active, eat larger quantities of lower-quality food because they no longer pick up their own hunger and satiety signals. They are also more stressed, more rushed, have a lot of difficulty sleeping, and so on.
All these elements are factors that affect the health and, therefore, the weight of our population. We must take action and address all those issues. As long as weight-loss methods that make promises of quick and painless weight loss are on the market, making healthy life choices won't be as appealing for people.
Weight-loss products, services, and methods are a risk for the health of Canadians and an obstacle to the development of healthy lifestyles.
Therefore, the association’s recommendations are: to include excessive concern about weight in programs that target weight-related issues; to address healthy lifestyles, regardless of weight, rather than weight as a measure of lifestyle; to conduct an analysis of the positive and negative impacts of public health messages conveyed with regard to weight-related problems, based on a benefit approach; to implement a monitoring process for the WLPSM industry; and to enforce the strict and integral application of the Natural Health Product Regulations and analyze their efficacy.
Thank you.